Afət Ziyadqızı
Search and rescue operations following the partial collapse of a residential building in the Cevizli neighborhood of Istanbul’s Maltepe district have been completed. According to an official statement from the Istanbul Governor’s Office, the rescue phase ended and cleanup work began after the body of the last resident was recovered from the rubble at around 6:15 a.m.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that five people died in the incident: Gulce Dora Turhan, Ahmad Mohammad Inan, Masut Bilece, Huseyin Ozkurt and Zeynep Inan. A total of 14 people were pulled from the rubble; four died at the scene and one died at the hospital to which they were taken.
As a safety precaution, 55 residents were evacuated from three adjacent buildings at risk of collapse, numbered 12, 25 and 27. Turkish interior ministry authorities accommodated 44 people who needed shelter in five-star hotels and arranged psychosocial and financial support for those affected and the personnel working at the site. The large-scale operation involved 774 rescuers, 237 pieces of specialized equipment, two drones and 10 specially trained K9 dogs.
Istanbul’s Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a comprehensive criminal investigation into the incident and detained the building’s architect, identified as H.B., and the construction site manager, identified as M.O. The Interior Ministry has appointed two civil inspectors to investigate possible negligence by public officials during the building’s design and use. Turkish Grand National Assembly Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz offered condolences to the victims’ families.
